Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Terrell Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Terrell , appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The name Just Love was birthed after attending a meeting in which the mayor and various organizations came together to discuss youth violence. The meeting was supposed to be a show of solidarity in which all at the table would come together and create a network of support while becoming a resource for the community. However, just the opposite happened whereas the organizations at the table were vying for opportunities for funding with the belief their approach was needed to help solve the problem. As a matter of fact each organization began to fight over proposed funding and instead of coming together became divided. I became frustrated and knew I didn’t belong there and decided to leave. As soon as I arrived at my vehicle I sat down took a deep breath and the first words that came to mind were “why cant we Just Love them” . This is how I came up with the name Just Love. My thought was instead of trying to come up with a plan or program why cant we simply show them that we love and care about them which is the foundation of relationship building.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Terrell Johnson and I am the founder of Just Love LLC. I grew up in north Minneapolis and I was always active in my community. I started of as a big brother and math tutor because even as a youth I loved working with and mentoring other youth in the community. As the years past I was continually drawn back into service for my community even though I was removed while working in corporate America my passion was still with youth and working within my community. I eventually left corporate and returned to my roots as I began working with youth at Boys Totem Town, 180 Degrees, Model Cities and several other organizations. However, I had an mission to nurture purpose and thereby awaken youth and young adults to their value, worth and the power they possess, through healthy engagement and interactions based upon the intrinsic power of love, without question, which is why I founded Just Love LLC. what I want my clients to know is that their condition is not their conclusion. More importantly, we hear them, we see them, we respect and love them. As an organization our value does not come from the young lives we have helped change, but rather as a direct result from the young lives that have helped change and shape us. One of the things I am most proud of is how we have been able to pivot and make the adjustments needed to meet our youth at the point of their need. This was especially true throughout Covid-19 where so many barriers were exposed and navigating systems was nearly impossible. We were able to make the necessary adjustments to ensure our clients received resources and support services needed to survive and sustain themselves. We offered curbside food delivery, online life and work readiness and helped numerous individuals navigate the unemployment while being furloughed. While there were organizations that took a step back during the pandemic Just Love took a step up and filled as many gaps to ensure those in need received vital services to maintain productive healthy lifestyles.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I rarely share personal stories specifically about my struggles but I think it is important for people to understand if you work hard refuse to settle and make no excuses to can overcome just about anything. I was diagnosed with both bulimia nervosa and Schizoaffective disorder depressive type with that last 10 years. I shared this in the last story but I didn’t really detail how I was able to maintain my company while dealing with them both. First, I have to say my faith is what helped me get through the toughest times especially when I was in treatment. There were days I wanted to give up but my passion helped me to persevere. However, I must admit it was hard for me to come to grips with the fact that I had an eating disorder as a black man. When you see images of people who suffer from eating disorder you will usually see white females who struggle with anorexia. So to say it was hard for me to come to grips with my diagnoses is an understatement not to mention while in treatment no one looked like me. As a result, I felt alone, scared, ashamed and blamed myself for the situation I was in. However, I drew strength from my faith and family who was a huge support and factored into my recovery. and resilience. Although I still have both diagnoses I realize my condition is not my conclusion therefore I know I am more than a conqueror through Christ who has caused me to triumph and be victorious in spite of what I am labeled with.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Managing a team while maintaining morale can prove to be a formidable challenge. You have to ensure that each team member feels valued no matter where they sit within the company hierarchy. For me, I conduct monthly check-ins to check the “temperature” of the environment and be sure the individual feels valued and appreciated. Also, I like to assign responsibilities that align with a persons strength therefore I know that they will feel confident when performing a particular task or job duty. More importantly, I try to be a man of my word and follow thru when needed to be sure I am putting my staff in the best position to be successful which bodes well for morale. Last, I will never tell any of my staff to do anything I am not willing to do, because I am a leader who likes to be on the front lines with my team as I enjoy the work as much as they do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://justlovemn.com/
• Facebook: Just love llc

Image Credits
Terrell Johnson